KENORA – On behalf of the Government of Canada and the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Diane Finley, Greg Rickford, Member of Parliament for Kenora, was pleased to congratulate the organizations and students in the Kenora Riding who will benefit from this year’s Canada Summer Jobs program.
“Work experience is always highly valuable for students,” said Rickford. “Through summer jobs students often find greater clarity for future career choices. They get the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned in school and gain important confidence.”
The federal funding of $192,822 will enable 48 employers in the riding will be able to create 71 summer job opportunities for students. These jobs are spread across the riding in not-for-profit, public and private sectors.
“Summer students are crucial to the success of the Tourism Centre’s ability to make visitors feel welcome in our community and to provide them with the services and information they require,” said Heather Paterson, Tourism Development Officer for the City of Kenora.
Canada Summer Jobs is a Government of Canada initiative that supports work experiences for students while also helping organizations that provide important community services. It encourages not-for-profit organizations, public sector employers and small businesses with 50 or fewer employees to create jobs that not only meet their needs, but also benefit students looking to gain work experience.
Canada’s Economic Action Plan has included increased funding for summer jobs for the last two years. This has meant an extra $20,842 for our local Kenora riding, funding for an extra 7 or 8 students based on averages.
Service Canada Centres for Youth are also opening across the country to assist both youth and employers including one here in Kenora. Our local centre is staffed by a student who was born and raised in Kenora, Mitchell Plamondon. Mitchell will be entering graduate studies in the Composition of Music in the fall at the University of Montreal. He has worked with Service Canada for more than a year in previous roles including an internship under the Employment Equity Student Internship Program, as a Student Ambassador and now a Youth Services Officer.
“Being an employee at Service Canada has helped me better my task management skills, professional speaking and critical thinking,” said Mitchell Plamondon. “It has presented to me the chance to practice my professionalism which goes a long way as a performing musician and composer.”
Located in communities across Canada, these centres are generally open to the public from May to August. They provide a variety of services, free of charge, to help employers advertising summer work opportunities and youth looking and applying for jobs in their communities.